By Scott Tibbs, June 24, 2010
When a Democratic Congressman physically attacked student journalists, the video of Etheridge's criminal behavior became an Internet sensation with over 2.5 million views. Etheridge immediately brings to mind another entitled Democratic member of Congress, Cynthia McKinney, who is best known for striking a police officer.
Predictably, Leftists are leaping to defend the thug Congressman. Even those who admit that he acted badly are placing blame on the student journalists for "provoking" him. The idea that any blame for Etheridge's criminal behavior could be assigned to the students is laughable.
The thug congressman was walking down the street, directly toward some student journalists. He had plenty of time to compose himself so he could react in an appropriate and nonviolent manner. When the student asked him a simple question, the thug congressman assaulted the student. He could have ignored them and walked past them, but he did something no member of Congress should ever do: he put his hands on the student.
Etheridge is quite a bit older than the students he assaulted, so he should have been mature enough to deal with them without resorting to violence. He could have easily asked about the student's identity without putting his hands on the student. The student journalists, for their part, did not retaliate violently - though they would have been justified in doing so as a matter of self defense.
I could have written the defenses for Etheridge's thuggery before his Leftist apologists spouted it. "He's not guilty of assault. That is determined by a jury." How silly. Etheridge is guilty of assault. That much is more than obvious by the tape. It is possible that he will get away with his criminal act, but a lack of a conviction in a court of law does not erase his guilt.
Honestly, have we lost all ability to think for ourselves? Are plainly obvious facts documented by irrefutable video evidence able to be discerned only by a court of law? Any functioning adult can view the video and make a judgment about the criminal behavior documented by the video. Whining that a "judge and jury" will determine what he did is nothing but dishonesty. The video is all the evidence needed to determine guilt.
Finally, to the Leftists crying about due process: Grow up. No one is advocating that Etheridge be denied due process or punished extra judicially. The people condemning the thug Congressman are discerning adults who can see the behavior on the tape and name it. That is protected speech under the First Amendment, and no one's rights are being violated by those who see and name criminal behavior.
